In this episode of the Connected Communities podcast, we speak with Sean Molino BCA. Sean is the Managing Director Forces Fitness Ltd and Founder of the Veterans Awards, and served with the Welsh Guards. His education programmes have reached over 45000 young people across every local authority in Wales. He also an ambassador for the Welsh Governments Big Ideas Wales programme that focuses on developing entrepreneurial skills with 16 – 25 year olds, and was invited to Buckingham Palace in 2019 to be awarded the British Citizen Award for his contributions to Health.

Covered in this podcast:

· Early life context, education and parental separation

· Moving in with a grandparent and a safe space

· Did you always want to join the army?

· Joining the Welsh Guards, a home within a home

· What was phase 1 and phase 2 training like?

· Mental health support for veterans

· Early selection for becoming an Army Physical Training Instructor (PTI)

· Early promotion, Corporals Course and responsibility for other ranks

· Signing off and the resettlement process

· Advice for young people who might want to explore the armed forces as a career

· Advice for those who are transitioning out of the army

· First role outside of the army and navigating civvie street as a leisure manager, then as Lidl Training Academy and Store Manger

· Launching Forces Fitness Ltd and the opportunities that young people are provided

· Looking after the team and culture

· Growing the company from boot camps to delivering educational programmes to over 650 schools and 45000 young people

· What started the Veterans Awards and making it about celebrating everyone

· Putting profit back into the veteran community through the Small Grants Scheme

· Veterans’ mental health and having someone to trust

· Tips that Sean does to support the mental health of his teams

· The Mental Health Buffet

· Closing Ritual - Kitbag

· The Mindful Minute

References and Support:

Mental Health Websites and Contact Numbers – www.beinnunity.co.uk/support

Veteran Support – www.beinnunity.co.uk/erv

Forces Fitness Ltd – https://www.forcesfitness.co.uk

Veterans Awards - https://veteransawards.co.uk

Twitter - https://twitter.com/AwardsVeterans + https://twitter.com/ForcesFitness